Bali, Traditional Wedding

The event in the life of Balinese are many, which has a great different from people living in advance countries. Balinese for every one who lives with traditional Hindu is bound by an obligation come mostly from religion and tradition which are now mixed without clear line. One of the main tradition still living until today is a tradition called ” Manusa Yadnya “, meaning sacrificed work for human being. The meaning of this is an obligation to conduct a religious rituals along the life of a person during certain age. Even later the ritual extended even before and after life of a person, so this is not just a circle life rites, but more extensive ritual involved the idea of human worldly and non worldly life. The basic rituals are following the birth, marriage and death. Each of these ritual involves the most consuming energy and time. Birth rite is called Ngotonin, marriage rite is called Nganten, and death ritual is called Ngaben. From here is clear that is a different nature between Nganten and marriage or wedding party for educated person. We can guess the feeling of a wedding party and a Ngaben event. A Nganten event will involve the feeling of parents of both bridge and groom a pious yet bit strain situation on the effort of fulfilling the correct and complex ritual. So the feeling of joy would not be the predominant moment for all parties in this situation, every one would center their effort on how the ritual be completely correct and and the member of the traditional organization be satisfied in terms of manners.

If we see the steps of a Nganten is consist of some stages. Now days a Nganten will always be initiated by the couple from making acquaintance of each other until coming to the consensus of living together tied in the marriage with the witness of both parents and families. If all of them agreed and the step toward the marriage got approval, then the parent and families of the man will come and inform the parent of the woman that their son firmly request their daughter. This step is called Memadik, meaning informal request while introducing the parent and families of the man to parent and families of the woman. Let’s say that from woman parties basically agreed. Second step is a formal request called ” Ngidih ” or ” Ngunduh “, where the parents, families and the formal and informal leaders of the village of the man will come to escort the family of the man to the parents of the woman. Here the involvement of village formal leader will discuss about the demographic status in relation with the residency requirements, while the traditional leaders will discuss about the traditional obligation and right of a woman that married to outsiders or insiders resident in their village and the obligation of the parents of the man toward the village of the woman. In most cases during Ngidih, the temple ceremony called “Mapamit” is organized at once. Mapamit means such as farewell, but not a party, where the woman ask permission to their parents, families, traditional organizations where she was member, ancestors, and the spirits of what her families believe in, including the manifestation of the almighty gods that she and her people in the village always worship. This is followed by a religious ceremony at the village of the man such as an information to the whole entities of the village that the village receive a new member and be considered as the same status of the other members. Here again the making of offering for ritual become the most focus of man families. The ritual is called ” Masakapan ” or Maperebuan “. Third step is informing back to the parents and family of the woman that all procedures are fulfilled at the village of the man. This step also involves the making of offerings to be sacrificed to the family temples, village temples, and the family temple of the woman. This step is called ” Ngaba Jaja” meaning bring souvenir. Traditionally the event of Nganten up here is finished. At some village still some additional event such as a sacrificial event called ” Klaci ” meaning that the parents of the woman must conduct a ceremony at the village temple and donating a pig, or rice to the member of the village to make the ceremony conducted. This ceremony is probably come from a tradition of ancient resident group that prevent their member from living out their group, so senses a fine. This type of ritual is very rare.

About The Author

dolf

Born in the Netherlands on 23-04-1940 and passed away in Bali on 25-05-2015. Farelli was the pseudonym of a remarkable man who was infused with an obsessive desire to create things that did not yet exist. Born in the Netherlands in 1940 Dolf Versteegh left his home country in 1990 in order to start a new life on the Island of Bali. Without any formal education he reinvented himself as an architect, as a designer of furniture, as a sculptor and as a writer.
As a teenager Dolf spent only three years in High School but he kept studying history and the natural world all his life and during his last 25 years on Bali he revealed himself not only as versatile artist but also as a formidable scholar of biology.
Farelli was a prolific creator of web content and what he has left behind will remain standing as a great monument to his creative spirit, his ingenuity and his never-ending search for knowledge.